John McCain, trailing even in the once solid Republican south, tried to rekindle his appeal as a military hero and man of honour yesterday, casting himself as the struggling underdog against Barack Obama.

Down in the polls and derided by conservative commentators, McCain chose this area with a large military population to spur his followers to keep their faith in his candidacy - mostly by affecting bravado at the very real prospect of defeat.

"We have 22 days to go. We're six points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes," he told a large crowd packed into a convention centre. "My friends, we've got them just where we want them."

McCain's latest reinvention comes after a disastrous three-week slide that has seen the Republican flailing around for a message that will connect in this time of economic crisis. His campaign team had originally planned to announce a new economic plan yesterday but, after some confusion, finally opted to do it today. That allowed Obama to introduce his own economic proposals unchallenged.

But the problem now for McCain is how to keep the hardcore supporters onside without firing up their emotions.

A Washington Post/ABC national poll yesterday put Obama on 53% to McCain's 43%. In a survey of scores of Republican strategists conducted by the National Journal over the weekend, 80% said they expected Obama to win, compared with only 17% three weeks ago.

Despite the recent criticism of McCain, there was plenty of fight in yesterday's crowd. Many people in the crowd said they wanted McCain to go even harder after Obama, saying the Republican should continue to bring up the Democrat's links to the 60s era radical William Ayers.

Some said McCain should also keep hitting Obama over his pastor, the Rev Jeremiah Wright, and his links to community organisers the Republicans accuse of committing voter fraud. "How about just going after him?" said Joe Kohm.

It was hard to miss the current of anger, with the chants of "Nobama" and the home-made signs saying things like "True Patriots".

One military man carried a sign saying: "I will not re-enlist if Obama is elected." A heckler yelled: "Obama is no good for the country."

Sarah Palin tapped right into that feeling. "We know that all across America right now there is a lot of anger," she said. "There is anger about the insider dealing of lobbyists and anger about the greed on Wall Street and anger about the arrogance of the Washington elite and anger about voter fraud."

Yesterday was only McCain's second appearance in Virginia, a reflection of his confidence that the state was secure. But, as McCain himself acknowledged yesterday, even Virginia - which voted Republican for the past 10 presidential elections - was in danger of slipping away.

The Republican tried to assure the crowd that he would never give up, recalling his years as a prisoner in the Vietnam war. "I know what fear feels like. It's a thief in the night who robs your strength. I know what hopelessness feels like. It's an enemy who defeats your will," he said. "I felt those things once before. I will never let them in again."

But the Democrats are advancing not only in Virginia, but in North Carolina. McCain has now been overtaken in the state, which he visited later yesterday.

The turnabout in Democratic fortunes in the once reliable Republican terrain comes after a marathon organising effort, and a huge investment in advertising. Obama and his vice-president, Joe Biden, have visited eight times between them, with Bill Clinton making two appearances on Sunday.

On local television Obama campaign ads pop up in every programming break, outlining his economic plan, offering tax cuts, and outnumbering McCain advertisements by about five to one.

The McCain campaign's single television ad focuses on Obama's association with Ayers. The Republican National Committee yesterday released yet another video on the Ayers connection intended not for broadcast but viral emails.

That appears to be having some traction. "I'm scared of Obama - from what I have read and his associations which are questionable, his so-called terrorist associations, and even his church," said Lori Raynor, a biochemist. "I just don't think he can run this country." She added: "Some of my friends have even told me they think he is the anti-Christ."

Others remained convinced that Obama was a Muslim, even while criticising his choice of church for the past 20 years. "I believe he has had a Muslim upbringing, but his wife is a Christian," said Scott Wallace, a physician's assistant.